Puzzle.



J. I'. B ROWN-.

PUZZLE. APPLICATION FILED JUNI: 23j 1907.

. 905,839. PatennedDe.8,19os.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I -summum w/rNEssEs /1 /NvE/vron m/fw l ATTORNEYS J. F. BROWN.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1907.

905,839. v Patented. Dec.8, 1908.

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Wl TNE SSE N VE N TOI? JAMES F. BROWN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters IPatent. i

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Application filed June 28, 1907. Serial No. 881,205.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, borough of Manhattan, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of my invention.

My invention relates to puzzles in which freely moving objects may be moved into a predetermined place by the skill of the operator, and I have provided therein certain novel features to render the operation of the game more difficult.

lReferring to the accompanying drawings illustrating my novel puzzle, Figure 1 is a plan view of the preferred form, Fig. 2 is an elevation of the crsssection through the middle of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is an elevation of the crosssse'ction also through the middle of Fig. 1, but at right angles to the crosssection shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modiiication of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the cross-Section through the middle of Fig. 4.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3, 1 is a round casing of any suitable material, as, for instance, cardboard or the like, which may or may not be disposed in a square box shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Within box or casting 1 a tilting table 4 is pivotally mounted by pivots 2-2 fastened at opposite points on the table and supported by supports 3-43 fixed on the walls of casing 1 at opposite points. On table 4 is disposed a fence 5 inclosing an inner portion of suitable size of table 4. Fence 5 isprovided with two gates 6 preferably located on opposite sides. The annular space 8, formed by fence 5 and the vertical wall of casing 1, is adapted to receive freely moving Objects, preferably balls 7, of substantial weight and of suitable size to pass freely through gates 6 of fence 5 and of suitable size so as not to fall through the v space left between table 4 and the vertical wall of casing 1 for mechanical reasons.

The operation of the puzzle is as follows: The balls 7 are placed into the annular space 8, as shown in Fig. 3. It is evident that in doing so, table 4 will be tilted to one side through the weight of the balls so that its downward tilted side will 'rest at the bottom of casing 1. It is the object of the operator to cause the balls 7 to roll into the inner portion 9 of table 4 nclosed by' fence 5 through either one of gates 6. This may be accomplished by tilting casing 1 by hand to bring table 4 into a horizontal position to start the balls 7 rolling. It is obvious that by these mani mlations some of the balls still in the annular space or some of the balls brought already into the inclosure 9 will unexpectedly roll to one side of the table, tilting the same downward on that side if suflicient in number to counter-balance the weight of the other balls remaining on the other side, thus causing the latter balls also to roll over to the tilted side of the table and upsetting the manipulations of the operator to get the rest of the balls from the annular space into the inclosure. It may also happen that some of the balls already in the inclosure 9' will roll out again through one of the gates 6 when the operator tends to get the rest of the balls from the annular space into the inclosure.

In Fig. 1 the gates 6 are shown in line with the pivots 2-2. I have now provided two other pivots 10-10 in opposite sides of table4 atright angles to pivots 2-2, so that if pivots 2'-2 are lifted out of the supports 3-3 pivots 1(110 may be inserted into these supports and thus the table 4 will tilt on a line at right angles to the tilting line of Fig. 1, which renders the puzzle somewhat easier. To render the puzzle more difficult, I have `also provided a pivot pin 11 fixed in the center of the bottom of casing 1 and supporting table 4 at its center when lifted from brackets 3 and turned so that neither of pivots 2 2 or 10--10 will be supported by brackets 3. It will be seen that table 4 is now adapted to tilt in all directions, which will render the manipulating of the balls from space 8 into space 9 most dilicult. To render the manipulation of the puzzle still more diiiicult, the outer edge of table 4 near the vertical wall of casing 1 may be chamfered, as shown in Fig. 5 at 12, so that the balls tend to be guided by the groove thus formed, out of which they must be shaken in order to be free to roll through one of the gates 6, which will generally start all the balls rolling to one side and unexpectedly tilt the table. The SaIIl pl'pOS be Obtained by li; ing the space between table 4 and the vertil Wll Of (39.3111n 1 lalg llgl'lt t aS guidegroove for t e balls.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of the puzzle shown in Fig'. 1. In this modification table 4 is of square shape and mounted in a square box l.

While I have shown in the drawings particular preferred forms of my puzzle, I do not Wish to limit myself to these forms, as the purpose may be obtained by any other form or any other manner of pivoting the table; for instance, by having any number of pivots on opposite sides oi the table in Fig. 1- so that the table may be tilted in any particular line relatively to the line through the gates. Furthermore, any desired number of gates may be provided in fence 5.

What I claim is:

l. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and having an opening, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said opening, a plurality of pairs of pivots on said table diiierently located relatively to the opening permitting said table to tilt in diiierent directions respectively relatively to the opening, and means for holding and supporting either of said pairs of pivots selectively.

2.' In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner ortion and having openings on opposite sides, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said openings, said table having a plurality of pairs of pivots and bearings adapted to selectively receive and support either pair of said pivots.

8. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and having an opening and objects adated to move freely on said table and to pass t rough said opening, a plurality of pairs of pivots on said table, each of said pairs diierently located relatively to the opening, a pair ofa bearings ada ted to receive and support either of sai pairs of pivots and a single pivot support for said table permitting same to tilt in any direction, said table adapted to be supported either by one of said pairs of bearings or by said single support at Will.

4. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and having openings on opposite sides and objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said opening, a luiality of airs of pivots on said table, eac of said pairs dierently located relatively to the opening, a pair of bearings adapted to receive and support either of said pairs of pivots and a single pivot support for said table permitting same to tilt in any direction, said table adapted t0 be supported either by one of said pairs of bearings or by said single support at Will.

5. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and having an opening, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said v opening, said table suitably sha ed in its periiphery to guide said objects a ong the Wall o said casing.

6. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and having an opening, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said opening, a plurality of pairs of pivots on said table differently located relatively to the opening to permit the table to tilt in different directions relatively to said opening, means for holding and supporting either of said pairs of ivots selectively, said table suitably shaped jbetween said fence and said Wall to guide said objects along the Wall of said casing.

7. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner ortion and having openings on opposite sides, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said openings, said table having a plurality of pairs of pivots, bearings ada ted to selectively receive and support eit er pair of said pivots, said table suitably shaped between said fence and said Wall to guide said objects along the Wall of said casing.

8. In a puzzle, the combination of a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner ortion and having openings on opposite si es, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said openings, a plurality of pairs of ivots on said table differently located re atiely to said openings, each of said pairs permitting said table to tilt in a different direction relatively to the openings, a pair of bearings adapted to receive and support either of said pairs of pivots and a single pivot support for said table permitting same to tilt in any direction, said table adapted to be supported either by said pairs of bearings or by said single support at Will and suitably shaped between said fence and said Wall to guide said objects along the Wall of said casing.

9. In a puzzle, the combination vof a casing, a tilting table mounted in said casing, a fence on said table inclosing an inner portion and haiy ing openings, objects adapted to move freely on said table and to pass through said openings, a plurality of pairs of pivots on said table differently located relatii ely to the openings, each of said pairs permitting said table to tilt in a different direction relatively to said openings, a pair of bearings adapted to receive and support either of said pairs of pivots and a single pivot support for said table permitting same to tilt in any disingle support at Will and suitably shaped betable and to pass through said openings, the

tween said fence and said Wall to guide said tilting of said table being controlled by the 10 objects along the Wall of said casing. Weight of said objects upon tilting of said 10. In a puzzle, the combination of a cascasing.

f ing, a tilting tablevotally supported there- JAMES F. BROWN.

in, a fence on sai table inclosing an inner Witnesses: portion and having oppositely disposed open- P. F. SONNEK, ings, objects adapted to move freely on said l HARRY E. KNIGHT. 

